Chapter 12: Dragon Sized Problems
Hermione let out a loud gasp as she quickly sat up in her bed. She was panting for breath and her cheeks were flushed. She might have let out another noise of some kind right before she sat bolt upright, but she wasn't clear on that.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked in the middle of a yawn as he sat up as well and looked to her.
"That was intense… What happened?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure really. But when you let out that noise it woke me up as well," Harry said.
Hermione caught her breath. She was sweating a little, but it wasn't really a panicked induced sweat. She got up fully and walked over to her desk. She poured herself some water from their room's self-filling pure water pitcher. Each Hufflepuff bed room had such a water pitcher and a glass cup. Harry and Hermione's room had two glass cups since they joined them.
Hermione pulled out a quill and added notes to a journal. Harry did the same from where he was now sitting at his own desk. Just under the entry number, Hermione wrote what she remembered of what just happened.
They started experimenting with their connection, whatever it was, soon after school started again. It started off simple with them not closing their bed curtains before they went to bed at nights. Harry didn't snore, but their sleep wasn't average either.
After that first try, they both shared what they remembered of their dreams the next day. Both first years were surprised how much they clearly recalled of their dreams. They also quickly discovered they were in each other's dreams and rather noticeable if not prominently featured in some fashion. It happened enough there was no way it was just coincidence. They tried a few other things as well with the connection, but so far it seemed dream and sleep related experiments were the most fruitful.
"Well. Now we know if we fall asleep in such a way at the same time and so close… It seems dreams are more intense," Harry said after he wrote what he experienced.
"I think we also might be sharing dreams like this Harry…" Hermione said. There was something she was thinking on.
"What did you dream? You've been kind of adamant about keeping our dreams secret from each other," Harry said. He wasn't questioning or really going along easily with this choice. He was pretty sure Hermione would not like some of his dreams she starred in. They were very personal.
He also didn't want to seem too agreeable to the condition she insisted on. She might suspect something if he did. Hermione was really sharp usually and while he liked that about her, it could be problematic in some ways.
"I think this time we can make an exception. There is no way I would be dreaming about flying around on a broom like that all over the world…" Hermione started.
Harry's green eyes widened to that. "That's what I was dreaming! You were there riding with me for part of it, but it jumped around to different scenes you could say. I was alone in others and really letting loose. I was doing all kind of stunts and everything. You dreamed all of that too?" he asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. It was strange to me really. I was there flying with you on the broom under starry skies at a steady and gentle pace for part of it. We were flying leisurely over London and along beaches and over a deep blue ocean sparkling like a sapphire under the sun. Other moments I would be flying… first person… like a master of broom flying. I also didn't feel too put out by it. However, it was still too much for me towards the end in that dive," she said.
Harry was in thought as he said, "I had the same dream. Even had some of those same feelings, except for the diving part at the end, if I had woken up normally at that moment, I would have been really upset at having such a great dream ruined."
"So... When we ensure we fall asleep at the same time via potion, we have the same dream? Or is it something more…" Hermione mused as she scribbled away.
"I think it is something more. I think it is more like sharing a dream, even if I seemed more dominant in the dream. Maybe… It would be better to say it was my dream we were sharing, but your influences came in as well? The way you described the parts where we flew together on the same broom is exactly how I would describe them, but…" Harry said.
"It was more… like a romance novel in its description and feel," Hermione provided.
Harry nodded. "I've glanced through one or two before out of curiosity… I'm surprised they aren't considered porn, honestly. Overly flowery porn… but still porn… even if it has an actual story," Harry said.
Hermione frowned to that and was about to argue, but sighed and shook her head. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. She had indulged herself in more ways than one when reading such books. If they didn't have certain aspects to them and were purely innocent, she wouldn't have dared allow her hands to slip down like that.
"Regardless of your theories on women's books…" Hermione said in an almost huff.
Harry gave her a look with a raised eyebrow. It was as if he was saying to her, "Really? You're going to act that way about it? You're going to really defend them?" Hermione blushed at his look.
"The point is… I think you're right. It does seem like I influenced the dream. I-I-I don't really read such books… But my dreams, when I remember them, are more like scenes from a book that I participate in. If you will. There may not be a narrator, but aspects of the dream seem to be read and described by an author. It is hard to really explain properly. They aren't always like that, but many times they are," Hermione said.
Harry decided to keep his realization Hermione seemed too embarrassed by the thought of romance novels for not having been a connoisseur of them to himself.
"Mine aren't always in first person, but they can be sometimes. After the dream we just had, I get what you mean by actively participating in a book. I would have just dreamed about the whole flying under the stars with you if it was my dream alone. It wouldn't have had that description feeling you mentioned," Harry said as he added his own notes.
Hermione insisted he keep his own journal on the experiments and add even the stuff they mentioned in conversation as well. She pointed out there was no telling what might spark a breakthrough later when reading their notes.
"I wonder if there is a reason it chooses one person's dream to share over the other. Maybe it goes in turns? Maybe it depends on if the person would have a dream that night or not. Maybe it is something else entirely…" Hermione said. She started to scribble down notes faster as more ideas came to her.
"I guess we will be repeating this experiment again," Harry said.
"I think we have to. This could be huge! It also was… really nice... I didn't have a problem with the dream until that last dive. I liked experiencing flying from your perspective. I don't mind broom flying so much now, but what I feel is nothing compared to what you enjoy about it," Hermione said with a smile to herself.
She also really loved the idea of sharing dreams with Harry. Talk about taking romance up a notch. She doubted few, if any, could say they shared dreams with their crush and best friend.
"I think we should wait at least a week though," Harry said to her.
Hermione frowned in thought before nodding. "Yes. Doing something like this too often can have obvious repercussions. Even if we both fall asleep again without any trouble, it won't change the fact our sleep was interrupted."
"I also don't want us to get too used to something like this. We could start overlooking something important if we did," Harry said.
He left unmentioned how he didn't really know what it would be like if they ended up sharing that kind of a dream. Doing something like this too often increased the chances of it happening. Additionally, he was pretty sure even safe sleeping potions, like the one they used, could be addicting if used too often.
Harry stood up and stretched again. He was about to go to the restroom really quick before going back to sleep, but he was stopped in his tracks. Hermione came over and gave him a tight hug.
"Thanks for agreeing to help with all of this, Harry. It really means a lot to me," Hermione said and sweetly tightened her hug a little. Not only was this something new and exciting, but she also had someone with her while she researched and looked into to it. The only time previously people helped her with research or experiments was if the school required it for a project. This was so much more than that.
Harry smiled and returned her hug. He really liked them and it was nice getting a sudden middle of night Hermione hug. "You're welcome, Hermione. I really like doing this with you and learning more about magic along the way," he said.
They then broke their hug and took care of what they needed before heading back to bed and sleep once again. Both were a mix of curiosity and excitement as they wondered if maybe putting their beds closer together and doing this would have different results. In many cases, closer proximity to something increases the effectiveness of it.
Both first years were far too embarrassed to say anything though. Hermione and Harry put it into the back of their minds to ask another time... maybe. Perhaps when they were both too exhausted to really focus on the implications of sleeping close to someone they liked-liked to care about embarrassment. That might be a good time to try. It would probably be best to approach that step in the same manner they did the others and start off with not closing bed curtains when close to each other.
[-] [-] [-]
"As much as I don't want to say it… I think we will have to do something more about Hagrid and Norbert," Hermione said to her friends as they sat in their dorm living room. The others sighed and nodded in agreement.
"You aren't the only one thinking that," Harry said. No one wanted to say it, but they all knew it was true.
"We have pushed this off long enough," Hannah said as well with a frown. They were close to Hagrid and saw him as a good friend, which made this even more difficult to discuss.
"Yeah… It was way illegal from the start, even if I kind of didn't press it. It is really rare to see a dragon hatch after all," Susan said with a sigh at her own lack of action on the matter.
Her aunt always stressed how important laws were and to never make exceptions. Susan had made one because of her own excitement. If it was something smaller or less important, she might not have cared, but this was an illegal baby dragon.
"Very rare. Even if you were to make regular trips to the dragon preserves, it is most likely you would never see a hatching," Hannah added her own thoughts.
"What do we do though? We can't just tell Hagrid it has to go," Harry asked the group as they fell into silence.
Ever since Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback hatched, Hagrid had been very protective of the dragon. He was to the point they were all pretty sure if they were to get burned, Hagrid would blame them for it and claim they were being mean to Precious Little Norbert. Harry wanted to support Hagrid in this venture, but it was going too far now. It didn't matter that he was very grateful Hagrid had kept his living situation a secret from even Dumbledore and saw him as a friend. They had to do something.
"I know for sure we can't tell Dumbledore," Hannah stated.
"Why not? I don't think Headmaster Dumbledore would get upset at us. He would probably be happy we came to an adult about it," Hermione said.
"It isn't that. As much as he cares for Hagrid, Dumbledore would have to do something about this. It would also have to be done rather publicly. He'd probably have to fire Hagrid at the very least. Like I said earlier. It is very illegal," Susan emphasized her words with a look.
Hermione sighed. "Then people like Draco's dad would use this as an opportunity to get rid of the Headmaster and put in someone they deem worthy of the position," she admitted with a frown.
"Which we all agree would be bad. Draco may be tolerable and alright in some ways, but his dad is far from it," Harry said as the others nodded in agreement.
"We have a little longer to think on it," Hannah started. She had taken it upon herself to look more into dragons. She knew how long it would take before Precious Little Norbert was no longer little. Hagrid would probably still consider the dragon precious though. He seemed to love large and dangerous creatures. The bigger and more dangerous it was, the more precious.
"I still think we should figure something out sooner rather than later," Harry said. All of the girls could agree with him on that.
[-] [-] [-]
Norbert kept growing at a surprising rate to Harry, Hermione, and Susan. Hannah however assured them it was a regular growth rate, even if on the faster end. This didn't change the baby dragon was still growing fast and they didn't know what to do about the situation. They were starting to think they wouldn't have an option but to go to Dumbledore.
It wasn't until one day when they were really trying to come up with ideas, that something happened. As the group of first years were thinking on what to do about a dragon and an overly attached surrogate mother, Tonks happened to come in through the door. "Hello, all," she said much more chipper than normal.
"Hey, Tonks," they all replied in some form or fashion.
"You seem to be in an exceptionally good mood," Hermione said with a friendly smile.
Tonks grinned. "Just finished a round of testing. I have a bit of a break now." She then frowned a little. "I'm still not looking forward to my actual NEWTs. I could really use something to get my mind off it all for now though," she said running a hand through her hair as it changed colors in reaction.
Harry gave a thoughtful hum. The others looked to him questioningly. Hermione then seemed to catch on just as he spoke again. "Do you have any idea what to do about a dragon that's growing too big to stay hidden in Hagrid's hut before possibly burning it down?" he asked in a surprisingly causal tone.
Tonks stared at them with comically large eyes, she loved doing things like that as a metamorph. "Wow… I did not expect that kind of a suggestion," she said.
Harry merely shrugged his shoulders.
Tonks sighed. "I guess this is what happens with such a cute bunch of fristies… You don't have normal problems," she said.
"Pretty sure nothing is normal about my life. Not that I'm complaining," Harry said.
"The strangest thing is that I do possibly have a solution… I'm guessing you want to keep this on the down low. I really don't want Dumbledore to be forced to ax Hagrid. I'm not as friendly with him as you four are, but I've visited him a number of times and consider him a friend," Tonks said.
The four first years seemed to be really relieved hearing that. "That's why you're the best RA for us. You already have an idea on how to solve our… dragon sized problem," Harry said grinning.
The three girls snickered but also shook their heads at him.
"Yeah… I know. Lame joke," he said unapologetically. Hermione seemed to giggle even more because of that.
"You can only get away with such a terrible joke, because you're one of my adorable first years, Harry. I expect better of you in the future," Tonks said. That got laughs from them all. "I'll have to speak to my… contact… about the dragon. It might take some time to get a response."
Tonks then pulled out some parchment as she sat down with a self-inking quill in hand. "Tell me all you can about the dragon so far. The more details I have the better it will be for my letter," she said in full seriousness.
That was one thing all of the first years could agree on and respected about Tonks. Their RA loved to joke around and was usually rather easy going, but she knew when to get down to business. They were careful not to talk over each other as they shared all they knew about Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback.
[-] [-] [-]
Luckily it didn't seem to take too long for Tonks to get a reply. "Alright! They can help. They asked I tell Hagrid first. They don't want to have to worry about him causing a scene. They still agreed to help and keep it on down low. My contact doesn't want Hagrid getting in trouble either. He was actually really close to Hagrid when he was here," Tonks said to them the same night she got her reply.
"Ohhh? You're contact is a him?" Hannah said suggestively as she giggled. Susan and Hermione both sighed to that. Hannah loved to gossip a little with them. They could tell when she was in such a mood and this was one of those times.
Tonks blushed a little but nodded. "Yep. Charlie Weasley is my contact," she said.
"One of Ron's brothers?" Hermione asked.
"Yep. He actually graduated just last year. And yes, Hannah. We did go out with each other," she said in defeat. She knew the girl would pester her until she got the answer she wanted. Hannah gave a giddy squeal to that. "He was a year above me, obviously. We started dating my fifth year," Tonks admitted.
"You said did go out with each other… Why haven't you two kept it up?" Hermione asked in what she thought was a causal manner. The others thought she seemed a lot more curious about such things than she liked to admit.
"We ended things on good terms. That's why I had no hesitation in sending him a letter about this. He loved dragons and there aren't too many preserves around. He ended up in Romania. He has quickly become one of their most reliable and best workers. I already knew I wanted to be an Auror before we ended things. I wanted to stay in Britain. He had no choice but to travel. So, we ended things on good terms without any hard feelings," Tonks answered.
She blushed a little thinking about that night again. They were ending things and decided to make it a hot and heavy night they'd never forget.
"Awww… Too bad you had to end things, but nice they were ended in a good manner," Hannah said in an overly romantic manner. Hermione seemed to also be eating up the whole romance of the situation as well with the way she paid such rapt attention. She wasn't even trying to feign merely passing interest now.
In both girls' minds, it was a story of true romance. Two people who loved each other very much, but wanted to take their lives in different directions and so had to part from one another. Fortunately, it wasn't a completely tragic love story.
Perhaps it was still in the middle of their story even. Maybe one day Charlie would return to Tonks and they would have a lovely reunion and end up together forever. Both girls just hoped it wouldn't be due to Tonks almost dying from an attack by Death Eaters or something bad like that.
"We were going to check in with Hagrid tomorrow. Do you want to come along with us?" Harry asked. He wasn't carried away by the romance of Tonks' life like the girls were and so he wasn't focused on it.
"That sounds perfect," Tonks said.
[-] [-] [-]
The next day all five of them made their way to Hagrid's hut. Tonks knocked on the door and Fang's booming barks were the first to answer. They thought they heard something else before Hagrid carefully cracked open the door to see who it was.
"Tonks? Is that you?" Hagrid asked in surprise mixed with worry.
"Yep! I figured since my firsties loved visiting you so much and I had a little bit of time… I'd pay you a visit with them to catch up," she said to him with her usual friendly smile.
Hagrid looked to Harry and the others who nodded. He seemed to still be a bit apprehensive, but eventually opened the door for them to enter. "Alright… Don't dilly dally too long in getting inside," he said as he disappeared back into his hut.
Norbert greeted them with a dragon cry and a small fire ball that Hagrid quickly patted out. "Heh Heh. Little tyke… His aims gotten better," Hagrid said far too motherly.
"He really is getting big," Hannah said first.
"Which is why you all talked to me about this," Tonks started. She then gave Hagrid an apologetic look. "Sorry, Hagrid. I wasn't completely up front about why I came with them. I do still want to catch up… But they were worried," she said.
"Were they now?" Hagrid asked in a manner that wasn't fully accusatory but still caused the girls to feel a little guilty.
"For Norbert's sake. We assure you," Harry stated. Hagrid looked to them in question.
"Norbert is getting big. He'll need to stretch his wings soon. Then you won't be able to keep him safe. Plus… It would be good for Norbert to get a chance to socialize with his own kind," Hannah said.
"I suppose so…" Hagrid said glumly. He then sighed as he served them tea in an odd mix of assorted tea cups. Norbert had been using a few of them as practice targets. Hagrid looked up to Tonks and said, "So what did you all have in mind? I don't really want to bother Dumbledore with this…"
Tonks smiled to him. "You won't have to. They didn't want to put Dumbledore in a bad position like that either. They asked me and lucked out," she started.
"How so?" Hagrid asked.
"I've been keeping in contact with Charlie some," she answered.
"Oh? What's he been up to? I know he was good with animals… But can he help?" Hagrid asked brightly.
"He's been doing really well with his life. Got his dream job and everything. He works for a Dragon Preserve in Romania. I talked to him and he replied saying a few of his friends and co-workers happen to be nearby enough they could make this side trip to pick up Norbert, and do so without any unwanted attention," Tonks said.
"I guess that would be nice… it is for Norbert… I've been worried what ta do with him honestly. He is getting big, which is really good! I thought maybe he could hang around in the Forbidden Forest, but that probably isn't a good place for him," Hagrid said seemingly trying to convince himself this was the right choice.
"They actually know how to handle such a delicate situation. He told me in the letter it isn't unusual for them to help people who purposely or accidentally raised a dragon illegally," Tonks said compassionately.
"They won't get in trouble then?" Hagrid asked.
Tonks shook her head. "They can take care of it and leave you out of it. They only get other people involved if they are essentially rescuing a dragon. He knows you wouldn't hurt Norbert though."
"I'd never!" Hagrid said offended by such a thought. Norbert was such a sweet, innocent, helpless, little baby dragon.
"Exactly. He knows. That's why he would be more than grateful to help you and Norbert out here. He wants what's best for you both. You can even arrange to visit over the summer if you want. He could even set it up so you would be brought on as a VIP or Consultant or Trainee, if you wanted. It would give you even more access privileges during a visit," Tonks said to him.
Hagrid smiled to that. He looked to Norbert and gave a sniff while wiping away a few massive sized tears. Norbert looked to him for a moment before letting out a dragon sneeze. It singed Hagrid's beard yet again. The giant of a man gave a good-hearted chuckle. "Bless you," he said very affectionately to the dragon. Norbert didn't really seem to notice though. He went back to doing small dragon things.
"Alright. I agree to it. This will be best for Norbert. How long until they can pick him up?" Hagrid asked.
Tonks gave him a smile as she said, "Next weekend. So, you have a week to say your goodbyes."
"I really appreciate it. Charlie was always my favorite of the Weasleys. Bill isn't too bad, but Charlie is really something else. So glad to hear he's living his dream," Hagrid said with a smile.
"He's already one of their best. I knew he'd be great," Tonks said with her own warm smile.
"Ahhh. Yeah, I suppose you would know. I heard you two were quite the couple. Downright infamous. Some would say," Hagrid said with a friendly chuckle as Tonks blushed.
A part of her did miss Charlie, but she was glad things went the way they did. Still, he was her favorite of the guys she sought after. He was the only one that really saw her and not just her abilities. He even got her to enjoy having them more than she used to and she really pressed the boundaries of what she could do for fun.
She liked to get a laugh out of people with her animal faces. No one but her and Charlie knew how she started using her abilities further like that, or to the extent she had privately. She blushed again at some of the memories with him.
"So… How big do you think Norbert will get?" Tonks asked Hagrid conversationally. Hagrid grinned and they all started to talk about different things and not just Norbert. The dragon tuned them all out and was snoozing on his chair by the fireplace.
[-] [-] [-]
The next week went by fairly quickly. Hagrid showed them the crate he made for Norbert to be transported. He managed to fireproof it even. "Turned out to be perfect timing, this. Another week or two and I wouldn't have been able ta treat it so the crate wouldn't burn. Baby Dragon's fire isn't as bad as a full-grown dragon's, but it grows in intensity as they grow," Hagrid told them.
Harry and the others didn't think you could really call Norbert a baby dragon anymore. He was too big for that. Fortunately, Harry and the others discovered two of them could fit under his father's cloak with the crate. They would just have to be careful since their feet would show. Tonks assured them she would help with that.
The group came up with a plan for getting Norbert to the extraction point. Harry and Hermione would carry Norbert under the cloak while Tonks followed them using a spell called the Disillusionment Charm on herself to keep a lookout. She also planned on casting a feather light charm on the crate.
"You can't really cast it or a levitation charm on a living being, especially something magical like a dragon. However, something like a crate or clothing, if you can concentrate enough, will work just fine. Thus, the effect will still be the same and we will have an essentially feather light dragon to carry easily instead," she explained to them. Hermione was eagerly absorbing this impromptu lesson.
On top of everything else, Harry and Hermione followed the route they would be taking to the extraction point a few times to get it down. It was easy to pretend they were just exploring the castle if anyone happened to question them. Harry even mapped out a few different detours they could take if needed. He wasn't one to take too many chances if he could help it.
[-] [-] [-]
On the actual night of the mission, Hermione, Harry and Tonks sneaked their way down to Hagrid's hut. The hand off had to be done at night under the cover of darkness. The trio agreed to go down to Hagrid's when it was still before curfew, and made a point of getting there without gaining suspicion. The last thing they needed was someone following them, even if they were innocently too curious.
The group would head out early enough to avoid prefect patrols, but late enough to avoid most students. They would have to wait a little while for Charlie and his crew to arrive. Luckily the rendezvous location wasn't too bad and they could make themselves comfortable while waiting.
Hagrid gave a big blow of his nose into his tablecloth sized handkerchief as he sniffed again. "I'm gonna miss ya, Norbert! Momma will always remember you," Hagrid cried in goodbye. Right before they left, Hagrid threw in a teddy bear. "His favorite," Hagrid assured them as he gave a final goodbye.
"Wanna bet on how long it takes before Norbert's favorite teddy goes bye bye?" Tonks asked in a whisper to both Harry and Hermione. Both first years chuckled but shook their heads.
After a few seconds, Harry said, "Hagrid. It's time we get going."
"Bye bye, Norbert! I'll be sure ta visit ya! I'd ask ye to write, but dragons don't do that," Hagrid said as he saw Norbert the baby dragon for the last time. If he saw him again, it would be as full grown dragon.
Hermione had to shake her head at it all. She could understand Hagrid's reaction, but he was getting too carried away with this in her opinion. She didn't have long to dwell on this though. "Let's get going," Hermione said to both Harry and Tonks as they nodded.
Tonks gave the crate the feather light charm while Harry threw the invisibility cloak over it in a manner both he and Hermione could best fit as well. Tonks quickly disillusioned herself. It was an interesting process to watch as her body seemed to slowly disappear.
As the two first years positioned themselves, Harry found it astonishing how light the crate was. He knew how the charm worked, but it was still amazing to him. One of them could easily lift the crate on their own, but it would be too awkward and unwieldy for sneaking around the castle unnoticed without help.
The group carefully made their way through the castle. Tonks took the lead with Harry and Hermione close behind her. They had pretty good luck so far. It was late enough the halls were mostly deserted, but early enough there weren't prefect patrols out already. They had one problem on their quest. Peeves.
They were carefully walking down a corridor when the poltergeist burst through a wall. He was grinning mischievously to himself, but paused suddenly and looked around in a surprisingly serious mood. He looked around the corridor a couple of times and narrowed his eyes. "Who's there?! I can't see you, but I can sense you," Peeves said in his high-pitched voice.
Harry wasn't sure what to do here. He thought about trying to imitate the Bloody Baron, who was one of the very few that could control Peeves. Before he could do that and probably fail, Tonks showed just why it was an even better idea to seek her help. There was a sudden racket coming from a different part of the castle it seemed.
Peeves grinned mischievously once again. "That sounds more fun!" he cackled before zooming off to investigate the mischief.
"Not sure how long my distraction will last. Let's get moving," Tonks whispered to them from Harry's side.
After that encounter, the remaining part of the quest was uneventful. They got to the tower where Charlie would meet them and the three relaxed. Almost immediately after they settled down, there was the sound of a chomp and a puff of smoke came from the crate.
"Teddy lasted longer than I thought. You fought well my friend. May the rest of the stuffed animal nation be encouraged by your sacrifice," Tonks said jokingly as Harry and Hermione laughed.
[-] [-] [-]
The group waited while keeping conversation to a minimum. Norbert seemed to decide it was nap time and was again resting, which was probably for the best. Just when Harry and Hermione were getting worried something happened, despite Tonks assuring them Charlie was never late nor early. A group of men flew into view under the night sky and headed towards.
"Pinks! Good to see you again," Charlie greeted Tonks with a smile. As was usually the case with his family, he was easy to pick out, flaming red hair and all.
Tonks gave a chuckle and said, "And you, Dragon Boy."
"So, these are some of your charges?" Charlie asked.
"Yep. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," she said in reply. Harry and Hermione both gave his hand a shake in greeting when he offered it to them.
Charlie turned to Tonks and smiled to her. "I always knew you'd be a good RA," he said. Tonks seemed to glow to that. The red headed young man then turned to Harry and Hermione as he said, "You might not believe it, but she was so very worried she'd be a terrible RA. I told her she'd probably be the best. And then one of the best Aurors as well."
"And I always said you'd be one of the best Dragon Handlers with how much you always went on about them," Tonks said with a smirk.
Charlie's friends laughed to that. "I'm not sure about the being the best… Yet… He definitely is one of the craziest in all the right ways though," one of them said as the others went into a new round of laughs including Charlie himself.
After their small talk, the dragon handlers showed the harness they made for Norbert and soon they were under way. "Good Bye, Dragon Boy!" Tonks called one last time. She was smiling and there were some light tears in her eyes that she soon wiped away. She wasn't about to let anyone see her cry over an ex, especially one she ended on good terms with.
"See you around, Pinks!" Charlie called back with a wide grin and a wink as they took off into the night with Norbert in tow.
Hermione had to suppress a very girly "Awwww! They really care for each other!" she wanted to let out at their interactions. It really was very romantic to her. She already planned to give Hannah full details tomorrow. Hermione hoped she could have such a romantic life when she was older.
Harry was just relieved they took care of the dragon situation. He still didn't let his guard down until after they were back in their dorm. He was impressed, but probably shouldn't have been given her career choice, Tonks also didn't let her guard down until they got back. People usually let their guard down once they felt the danger was over for the most part. That was when things were at their most fragile though, but only if you acted that way as well.
Hermione followed Harry's lead in keeping aware and alert as they once again disappeared under the cloak. This time it was both more comfortable and less so to be under the cloak. More comfortable since they had room and didn't need to worry about errant baby dragon sneezes. It was also more troublesome, because she couldn't keep herself from noticing how close she had to be with Harry under the cloak. She had a feeling her dreams would be lovingly torturous tonight. Being under an invisibility cloak with a boy had so many possibilities.
Unsurprisingly, the journey back was very uneventful. Harry, Hermione and Tonks were relieved by this. "Glad that's over…" Tonks started as her hair lengthened and turned to a slightly lighter shade of brown. "No offense, Harry. But I really hope you and the others don't have any more dragon smuggling plans for the year."
Hermione chuckled to that. Harry sighed. "I'll try my best," Harry said good naturedly. "I didn't really want even one dragon smuggling operation during my whole time at Hogwarts. It just happened," he said.
"Well. At least, your second semester at Hogwarts isn't boring. You'd be surprised how boring Hogwarts is after you first get over the novelty of magic school," Tonks said.
"If you say so," Harry said. He doubted he would ever find Hogwarts boring.
"I do say so," Tonks said as she gave a stretch and a mighty yawn. "I'm off to bed. See you two tomorrow."
"Good Night Tonks. And thanks again. You really are a great RA," Harry said to her.
"I agree with Charlie. You're the best," Hermione said with a smile.
Tonks grinned brightly as she said, "I know I am. Night!" Tonks then went to her room.
Harry and Hermione were up for just a little longer as they sat together on a couch. They talked about things that weren't involving plans of dragon smuggling as they waited to calm down after the night. That night they again tried sleeping with their bed curtains open, which was an almost regular occurrence with them by this point.
They briefly toyed with finally suggesting the idea of pushing their beds closer together, though neither of them shared that idea with the other. It might have been the right moment to try that. Instead, they were far to sleepy once the thrill from dragon smuggling and sneaking around the castle wore off.
[-] [-] [-]
In the end, their dragon business had one last surprise for them all. Charlie sent them a letter a few days later saying Norberta was safe and sound.
It turned out Hagrid's dragon was actual a female. Charlie assured Hagrid if he ever wanted to visit, he would get the best VIP treatment possible. The dragon preserves were always excited and very thankful to find more females.